James Thomas "Jim" Walsh (born June 19, 1947) is an American Republican politician from New York, currently representing the state's 25th Congressional District[1] in the United States House of Representatives.

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Walsh was born in Syracuse, New York and graduated from St. Bonaventure University. He served in the Peace Corps in Nepal 1970–72. Walsh was then elected to the Syracuse common council. He ran as a Republican and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. Walsh has been re-elected without significant challenge in each election, except for 1996 when he was challenged by Cortland attorney Marty Mack and won by a 55%-45% margin, and in 2006 when he was challenged by Democrat Dan Maffei and won by a 51-49% margin.

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Walsh's father, William F. Walsh, served as Mayor of Syracuse (1961–69) and represented Central New York and the Finger Lakes region in the U.S. House of Representatives (1973–78).

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In June of 2003, The Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems (an industry group) presented Congressman Walsh with the Syracuse University Willis H. Carrier Award. This award serves to honor Walsh for his years of service and commitment to protecting the environment and for helping to foster an economic hub for environmental technology through his financial support of the Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems (CoE-ES) and the New York Indoor Environmental Quality Center (NYIEQ). Walsh is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and Republicans for Environmental Protection.

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He is a firm supporter of the Destiny USA project in Syracuse. Walsh has been a firm advocate of stem cell research, although he is opposed to using embryos as a source of the stem cells for such research. [2]

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Walsh is considered an influential figure in the sustaining of Syracuse University (SU). He has helped get funding for many projects run by SU, including Chancellor Nancy Cantor's Connective Corridor project.

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On September 10, 2007, Jim Walsh stated that he now favors a gradual withdraw of American forces from Iraq. This announcement came months after Walsh opposed President Bush's troop surge, and the Congressman claims that it was a result of personally going to Iraq and finding that the Iraqi government and military have not done enough on their end. Walsh stated, "We've done enough. No country has done more than we have for Iraq. The question I kept coming up with is how much do we have to give Iraq to make things work? I think we have given enough." [3] Walsh supports a bipartisan bill that would set a withdrawal date for American troops.

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[edit] 2008 Election

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With Walsh's seat becoming one of the top battlegrounds for the 2008 congressional elections, he announced that he would not seek another term. [4]

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Walsh is a prominent endorser of Rudy Giuliani's Presidential campaign, He recently stated: "I know what Rudy Giuliani can do. I was proud to work with Rudy while he was Mayor and I’ve seen the direct results of his actions and his demands for accountability and high standards. When times are tough, he’s the leader you want, and I’m proud to support him for President."[citation needed]